Christmas Blessings

Merry Christmas

                      From the Clark family                                    

An Enduring Kingdom Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

This is a wonderful promise! In the midst of the political turmoil and uncertainty of our day there is a kingdom in the hearts of millions of believers whose government is firmly established on the strong, unchanging, stable shoulders of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

God is calling His people to transfer their entire focus and trust from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. He is the source of everything that we need. Our economy is based firmly on His kingdom and economic principles set out in His Word. In such rapidly changing times, He is our Wonderful Counselor to whom we go and depend upon for all our advice. He is our Everlasting Father who loves us passionately and to whom we can turn in every situation and know that He is always there for us. As the Prince of Peace, peace is His nature, and as we take on His nature we can walk in constant peace no matter what our circumstances.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty WILL accomplishes this. We are not the ones to do it. He will finish the good work He has begun in you. He will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He will establish His kingdom, and no political force or military might can stop it. He simply calls us to trust Him and to become a part of what He is doing in these last days.

This Christmas season and New Year, may we rejoice that the King is born, and “of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” May you find refuge, counsel, grace and strength in His everlasting arms.

Andy and Emily Clark

Covenant Keeping God

Scripture Reading: Luke 13:10-16

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."  Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath." The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?" 

When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.”

It is interesting that in Luke 13:16 Jesus did not know the name of the woman but He remembered His covenant to Abraham. There are many times we see Jesus moved with compassion. But here Jesus is moved to action by His covenant.

Psalms 105:8-9 says, “He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.”

2 Corinthians 1:20 says: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

All the promises of God, Old Testament and New Testament are YES in Christ and AMEN in Him because all the promises are fulfilled through Him.

I want to encourage you today, that God is a covenant-keeping God. Take time to review the covenants in His Word. Pray and allow these to become alive to your situation. Do not let doubt or disobedience hinder you from pressing into those promises. Most covenants have requirements for us to fulfill. Remind God of His promises and be willing to step out in faith and maybe do something that you have never done before. Step out of the box of your routine and ability into the vastness of God’s greatness, and see Him work on your behalf.

May God by His Spirit and Word encourage you today.

Andy Clark